Decision Time

Wow so much has happened since my last blog where do I start, the last 2 months seem like a blur, there has just been such a huge learning curve in preparing for the sea kayak leg across the Taurus Strait

Well we finally met the boys from Expedition Kayaks,and they were fantastic Mark and Rob met with Paul, Michael in myself in Sydney at Watsons Bay, the boys brought down a selection of three kayaks which they thought would fit our criteria. The Tiderace kayaks (the Pace18 and the Pace 17Tour) and a Rockpool kayak ( the Taran). These were all first class touring kayaks, they were fast, they handle the swell and they had a great storage capacity.

We were so excited, like little kids the day before Christmas, after speaking with Mark several weeks earlier and researching these kayaks, to say we were extremely keen to try them out would be an under statement, particularly the Taran. Once again the Taran just seem to tick all the boxes. A super fast touring kayak developed by Rockpool to break records. I particularly fell in love with the shape,a mixture of old and new, a shape that many would say is to be the future of expedition ocean going kayaking.

There is a great blog the boys are have put together on the expedition of the North Reef at the top and of the Capricornia Cays, they paddled the Rockpool Taran some 400km.

We jumped in the kayaks fitted our skirts, non of us had ever gotten intoa kayak with a skirt and it was a very clostrafobic feeling to say the least.There must have been a 30km Westerly wind blowing this day and probably at 3m swell out of the heads. At this time I was the only one out of our group who had paddled a sea kayak, none of us knew how to roll or had even worn a skirt with a kayak. I must admit I did have a few butterflies when looking at into the harbour where all one could see were whitecaps from the aggressive westerly wind which was producing a good solid 2'-3' wind wave.These boats felt so foreign compared to the surf skis we had been training on.

 I was paddling the Tiderace Pace 18, Michael was paddling the Tiderace Pace17 and Paul was  Paddling the Rockpool Taran. We set off from the beach off Watsons Bay and instantly Rob Mercer was off like a rocket and had blown us all out of water. I had clearly underestimated the strength and fitness of Rob as he took off at a cracking pace head on into the gale force Westerly. In setting off after him my arms were on fire within the first 5 minutes, unfamiliar with these vessels all technique had gone out the window and all the drive is coming from my arms, it didn't take long for my arms to burnout.
 Never the less the 3 of us had huge smiles on our faces as we could not believe the stability of these oceangoing vessels, the way they just cruise into the wind chop, it didn't matter if you are punching head-on or across waves, these kayaks were amazing.We were all very amazed how all 3 of these kayaks handled when running with the waves.
 After paddling around the harbour and pulling into beaches and swapping kayaks we all got to try all 3 of these kayaks. At the end of the day all our feelings were mutual , these were the boats we were looking for. We all had a soft spot for the Taran and its spec's matched what we were looking for.

But there was a problem was, Expedition Kayaks only had 3 Tarans and these were the only 3 in the country and if we had to order new kayaks from Rockpool in the UK we would not see them arrive in the country until January . 2014. There was no option for us to order new ones as we needed to get these kayaks into our possession and make them part of our training schedule so we could start familiarizing ourselves with these vessels that were going to carry us across the Tores strait.

This did not become a problem for long, Mark could not make the paddle on sam day as us. So a few days later he met with the boys and tried the kayaks we had paddled. Mark's a solid bloke ( ex Rugby Union front rower)and has the flexibility of a wombat thus the Pace 17 being a little wider suited Mark and ticked all the boxes for him, He was quite happy to invest in the Paces 17. So problem solved and a order for 3 x Rockpool Tarans and 1 x Tiderace Pace 17 was place with Expedition Kayaks.

I was just want to mention that the boys from Expedition Kayaks were sensational in the way they looked after us with the Kayaks and of course all the gear that went along with Purchasing a Kayak.

A Change in Direction

Believing this is really going to happen hasn't really sunken in to some the guys. There seems to be doubt appearing and uncertainty in some of Mark Hickey's commitment. Mark is not sure if he can commit to the adventure as I think he is struggling with the thought of getting the 30 days needed for the expedition away from his work, never mind all the time needed for planning,  fitness training and sea rescue courses ahead of us, he is startng to showing signs of pulling out. It's no real surprise to us as Mark is under a lot of pressure from his work being a partner in a legal firm, it can be very difficult for him at times. 

Although we would love to have him join us I don't think this is going to be a huge setback as the direction and the feeling was very strong that we are going to be paddling single man kayaks, not double man kayaks as first planned which now meant we could have odd numbers in the group.

Initially at the beginning of the decision-making, we had looked very seriously at the way John Jacoby and his mates did the crossing in double kayaks. And I think this really appealed to Mark Heanly as he has not had the experience of being out in the ocean and surf that Paul and myself have had and he was quite warming up to the added security of sharing an sea kayak with somebody else who perhaps had more experience and confidence.

Marks position was not empty the long, one freezing cold a good mate of our's, Michael Earp joined us for a morning paddle up and back along Throsby Creek. There was talk amongst some of the boys about the adventure and looking across at Michael I noticed the confused look on his face wondering what we were talking about. I explained to Michael that we were doing the adventure Paul had always dreamt of, and it was happening, I said to him "why don't you join us, it's going to be an awesome adventure" knowing in the back  of my mind how Michael loves his toys and loves an adventure.

But I also knew Michael's life was very full, between running Earp Bross Tiles with his brother and being a helicopter pilot on-call with Heli Services Newcastle, I new he may struggle finding the time needed for such an expedition. During that paddle I could see the look on his face, his mind was thinking over and condensing a weeks worth of decision-making into one paddle session, I could tell by the end of the paddle, the look on his face there was an 80% chance he was going to be a participant in this adventure. And to Michael's is true nature he jumped in boots and all and never looked back.

One early-morning paddle, Paul was sharing with me about his weekend in Port Stephens and how he had climbed Mount Tomaree, Paul was recovering from knee reconstruction surgery so this was quite an effort for him at the time. And after his dissent he saw a group of sea kayakers coming into Shoal Bay they had paddled from Boat Harbour and they were paddling the kayaks we had been researching,  "The Nadgee and the Mirage 580". Loving a chinwag Paul was down there in a flash talking to them in pumping them for information about their sea kayaks. They loved both kayaks and discuss the pros and cons of each kayak, but they highly suggested before we purchase any kayak that we talk to Rob Mercer and Mark Sudin from Expedition Kayaks.That one single bit of advice was a huge game changer for us.

 That morning as Paul and I sat down for a coffee after our paddle I phoned Mark Sudin's on speakerphone where Paul and myself share our plans of crossing the Torres Strait. Rob and Mark are amazing guys their wealth of knowledge of paddling vessels and sea kayak on expedition is massive. Once again these guys shared their knowledge and experience with us in the blink of an eyelid.
 Mark discussed with us and explained that although the kayaks we were looking at were fantastic sea kayaks, touring sea kayaks over the last years have been evolving and morphing with similar characteristics of an ocean ski. I never forget the way Mark explained the difference "it is like driving an old Holden and then jumping in to the latest European motor vehicle, there's just no comparison" Paul and I looked at each other with excitement after listening to Marks wealth of knowledge and passion, we could not wait to meet these two fella's and have a test paddle in these touring kayaks Mark was talking about.

Decisions Decisions

One of the biggest things I've noticed with all the forums and blog reading research, is there are many many passionate Sea kayak paddlers in Australia who are so accommodating and eager to share their knowledge and love of sea kayaking. Which I guess is understandable with all our beautiful coastlines and enduring rivers and estuaries. 

Researching and planning for an adventure such as this is extremely exciting and lots of fun, I am really enjoying the journey of discovering new products and enjoying the ride of a steep learning curve from knowledge shared by many passionate sea kayakers. 

One of the first obstacles I encountered when researching sea kayaks was how traditional a sea kayaker I become, do I stay with what I am comfortable with, going out in the ocean and surf which leads to a background of surfboards and ski paddling, both fast and exciting and use of rudders and fins. Or do I chill out a little more, take my time and indulge in a little nostalgia and take on a more traditional's style of sea kayaking.
I guess we're looking for a kayak that can do it all. A long distance cruiser to coast along on those pleasant days, flow down rivers, or glide across still water at comfortable a relaxing cruising speeds, handle big ocean rolling swells, tackle waves while having fun in the surf and above all, handle and be reliable for expeditions.
 I have been riding surfboards  since I was10 years of age and hope to be surfing in my 80s. I also love the experience of getting a rush out of selecting a swell and heading into shore with it as it gradually gets steeper morphing into a wave and having this 5m long missile to control and trying to russell the craft into the shoreline.

First stop Nudgeei kayaks

My first email in quest of searching for the ultimate adventure vessel was to Lawrence Geoghegan of Nadgee kayaks,  unfortunately I have never paddled a Nadgee kayak, though what I have read and learnt about Nudgee kayaks is that they are first class sea kayak, Lawrence is extremely passionate craftsmen who is proud and builds a kayaks with first-class materials and lots and lots of love. I think as far as quality goes one could not go past Nudgee kayaks, They are designed and built strong and well worthy of being in the classification of a expedition kayak. 

Lawrence has put a lot of thought into his kayaks and one of his designs that I think is still the best in the world is his trolley system. It is like no other ,  light weight , simple and quick to set up to enable it to be carried in or on your kayak when touring. A fully laden kayak can weigh as much as 80- 90 kg , to simply add wheels to your craft and move it up the beach certainly out of harms way saves a lot of time and effort then having to unload the kayak and make several trips back and forth karting ones supplies.

He is a wealth of knowledge and happy to share his experience and assist us in getting the right sea craft for our expedition, he has many years of experience and is well-known through the sea kayak fraternity. Lawrence offered us to visit him down south where we could stay and discuss our journey and share in his experience he had to offer.  Regrettably we never got a chance to test the Nadgee kayak. I think as a group with a background in ski paddling the less traditional type of kayak with rudders appeals to us

 One of the worries I have in researching for our ultimate vessel is trying not to be seen as a tire kicker. Discussing sea kayaks and learning and asking lots of questions, The people I speak to are always so forthcoming with their  knowledge and I kind of wish I could afford to buy off each of them for exchange of the knowledge they have shared with me.

Discovering the epic sea kayak

While reading blogs and forums on sea kayaking, while following links I discovered the incredible Freya Hoffmeister. She has completed a circumnavigation kayak paddle unassisted around Australia on epic and is now circumnavigating South America. I noticed the kayak she was peddling, "wow what an amazing looking kayak" it looks like a cross between a Epic V12 and a mirage 580.

Within minutes I was googling Epic 18x Sport looking for images and reviews that could inform me about this vessel. It looked very impressive and by all the reviews it sounded extremely fast though didn't sound like it appealed to the kayaking purist as it is very unconventional in its shaped and looked like it was very dependent on rudder which always makes me nervous specially when you hear stories from StuartTruman (who circumnavigated Australia) where a shark bit and damaged his rudder. I have also seen videos where people drag heavy loaded kayaks up rocky beaches. The thought of being exhausted after a day's paddle having to babysit the rudder does not appeal to me. And my other question was, is the Epic expedition proven

After emailing Paul the links to the epic website he was bitten and was very attracted to the Epic 18x. I guess with our ski paddling background the Epic appealed to us, especially its ability to ride along the ocean rollers and play around in surf.
Paul was sold, this sea kayak was what he had been looking for, it honestly ticked the boxes for him and I could tell he had eyes for no other.

Getting the Ball Rolling

Getting the Ball Rolling

 Progress is a little slower than I though, we are all preoccupied with our day-to-day lives , catching up together to put some effort in the planning has been challenging . At the moment one of our fellow adventurers is not quite sure that he can commit. Getting time away from his work is almost as big a challenge as the adventure.

One thing we all have agreed on at the moment is we all need to get ourselves a lot fitter than we currently are at the moment. So we have scheduled and started adding more activity and exercise to our day-to-day routines, it's surprising when you are busy little bit of exercise hear and there all adds up and it doesn't take long to start seeing the winter love handles disappear.

I have started getting proactive with research in regards to sea kayaks. Three of us have grown up around the East Coast of Newcastle surfing and paddling but we have very little knowledge when it comes to being in the ocean with a sea kayak. Mark would have the least amount of padding experience in the ocean, but that has not stopped his determination, he has a huge amount of core strength and is very surprising how quickly he goes on the water. Mark Hickey who we were expecting big things in the paddling leg of the adventure has been in the famous Molokai ocean race in Hawaii and I personally was expecting a big drive from Mark.

As far as researching sea kayaks, I have narrowed it down to 3 Australian made kayaks, my preference is to use kayaks that are Australian made, I haven't really discussed this with the others or if they share my views on Australian made sea kayaks. After reading and researching countless sea kayaking blogs and sea kayaks forums, I think these would suit us.

All of these are outstanding Aussie built and designed sea kayaks and I'm sure any one of these craft would fulfil our needs well. These are some of the criteria I am looking for in a sea kayak.

• Expedition strength and quality
• Must have a rudder
• Reasonably quick off shore touring 

The Nadgee nadgeekayaks.com.au
The Epic   www.epickayaks.net.au
The Mirage 582 www.mirageseakayaks.com.au/2013-05-28-10-20-40/582

Talks Cheap

The excitement has started

For years Paul has been talking of this dream adventure, If I had to be honest with myself it was a journey that was just too large to get my head around,how would I afford it, how would we find the time, was I physically and mentally strong enough? I guess that is where Paul and I are different , I think about it too much and Paul just does it.
And then Paul read about an adventure by John Jacoby. A story of how John and his mates completed an adventure for John's 50th birthday, This was Paul's dream! and these guys had done it, he was so exited to have read that someone achieved this dream and it was doable. I always thought it was a magnificent goal and an awesome achievement to accomplish, my problem was I could visualise it happening.

Then it happened Paul said "he and Mark were going to do the Cook Town to Kokoda adventure" I was mortified, they were actually going do it, it was no longer talk it was actually going to happen.

 At first I thought I was hearing things , then they mentioned it again when we we camping one night before the Convict 100 mountain bike race.
And then to my reliefs, Paul turned at me asked if I was going to join them, still unable to picture it I replied " love too ".

 Out of my comfort zone of commitment I committed myself to going . I had never really given Paul the full nod with the up and down yes , I had always replied with a "that would be awesome". Paul's a bit of a bull terrier, once he gets hold of something he never let's go and I new he was never going to let me take a backwards step once I said yes.
It didn't really hit me for a few days latter that I had finally committed to this adventure and it was time to stop reading and dreaming about other people adventures and time to be part of one. 50 year of age is only just around the corner and we were not getting any younger and it wasn't going to get any easier.